Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler released his report on reducing campus sexual assaults at all Maryland colleges and universities during a news conference Thursday.Mobile users tap here for videoThe report is a tool for university administrators, law enforcement personnel and students to learn, examine and innovate in order to change the culture on Maryland college campuses with the goal of ending sexual assault, officials said."At a time when one in five females and one in 16 males are sexually assaulted while in college, we can and must do more to combat this epidemic of violence," Gansler said.It's also aimed at helping raise public awareness consistent with President Barack Obama's "It's On Us" campaign that launched in September, asking everyone to "…step off the sidelines and be part of the solution to end campus sexual assault."State Delegate Ariana Kelly and Dr. Linda Clement, UMCP vice president for Student Affairs, also joined Gansler during the news conference at University of Maryland, College Park."Implementing the best programs and most effective practices on any given campus is a great start. Ultimately, each of us has a responsibility to end sexual violence and misconduct on campus and beyond," Gansler said."When I talk about it, I talk about it from the perspective of someone who has done legislation in this area and someone who is a survivor," Kelly said.The report, "Doing More: Reducing Sexual Assault Misconduct at Maryland's Colleges and Universities," is focused on best practices that will help prevent campus sexual violence, address the serious needs of victims and raise public awareness.The report outlines state and federal laws and regulations applicable to campus sexual assault and provides examples of policies, programs and prevention innovations that have been implemented on various campuses."It occurred to me that the issue of bystander intervention is probably one of the most effective ways of dealing with this issue in terms of educating students, making sure students have training both when they show up at orientation but also ongoing while they are there," Gansler said.The report includes the University System of Maryland's Policy on Sexual Misconduct that was developed in consultation with attorneys from the Office of the Attorney General’s Educational Affairs Division.Among the many recommendations included are:increased bystander intervention initiativesthe education and training of university employees about trauma, victim behaviors and the language of re-victimizationthe need for better engagement with local law enforcementcreative efforts to raise public awareness about sexual assault and misconductGansler said "Our colleges and universities are integral to our communities in so many ways. We are college students, college alumni, college employees, college professors, college neighbors, college parents, college siblings, and college sports fans. Given this, campus sexual misconduct is all of our concern, and we must all be part of the solution, all of us -- elected officials, law enforcement, and concerned citizens can and must help make Maryland’s campuses safe and secure.""We get a lot of emails about it. There are a lot of talks on campus. A lot of people are talking about it and making you think more about it yourself," said Kevin Spillman, a UMCP student.The attorney general said students can make a difference."Most of the cases, about 89 percent, involve alcohol, and a lot of them -- almost all of them -- can be prevented," Gansler said.Last year, there were 101 cases of reported sex offenses on Maryland's public and private college campuses, that's up from 72 in 2011. The number of reported forcible sex offenses appears to have leveled off. There were 24 last year, down from a high of 27 in 2012.The University of Maryland-College Park led the state in the number of reported forcible sex offenses with 45 over the past four years. There were 29 at McDaniel College, 19 at Towson University and 18 at Salisbury University and the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.All of Maryland's colleges and universities are required to review and update their policies on sexual assault by the end of the year.WBAL-TV 11 News Education Alert reporter Tim Tooten contributed to this report

BALTIMORE —

Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler released his report on reducing campus sexual assaults at all Maryland colleges and universities during a news conference Thursday.

The report is a tool for university administrators, law enforcement personnel and students to learn, examine and innovate in order to change the culture on Maryland college campuses with the goal of ending sexual assault, officials said.

"At a time when one in five females and one in 16 males are sexually assaulted while in college, we can and must do more to combat this epidemic of violence," Gansler said.

It's also aimed at helping raise public awareness consistent with President Barack Obama's "It's On Us" campaign that launched in September, asking everyone to "…step off the sidelines and be part of the solution to end campus sexual assault."

State Delegate Ariana Kelly and Dr. Linda Clement, UMCP vice president for Student Affairs, also joined Gansler during the news conference at University of Maryland, College Park.

"Implementing the best programs and most effective practices on any given campus is a great start. Ultimately, each of us has a responsibility to end sexual violence and misconduct on campus and beyond," Gansler said.

"When I talk about it, I talk about it from the perspective of someone who has done legislation in this area and someone who is a survivor," Kelly said.

The report outlines state and federal laws and regulations applicable to campus sexual assault and provides examples of policies, programs and prevention innovations that have been implemented on various campuses.

"It occurred to me that the issue of bystander intervention is probably one of the most effective ways of dealing with this issue in terms of educating students, making sure students have training both when they show up at orientation but also ongoing while they are there," Gansler said.

The report includes the University System of Maryland's Policy on Sexual Misconduct that was developed in consultation with attorneys from the Office of the Attorney General’s Educational Affairs Division.

Among the many recommendations included are:

increased bystander intervention initiatives

the education and training of university employees about trauma, victim behaviors and the language of re-victimization

the need for better engagement with local law enforcement

creative efforts to raise public awareness about sexual assault and misconduct

Gansler said "Our colleges and universities are integral to our communities in so many ways. We are college students, college alumni, college employees, college professors, college neighbors, college parents, college siblings, and college sports fans. Given this, campus sexual misconduct is all of our concern, and we must all be part of the solution, all of us -- elected officials, law enforcement, and concerned citizens can and must help make Maryland’s campuses safe and secure."

"We get a lot of emails about it. There are a lot of talks on campus. A lot of people are talking about it and making you think more about it yourself," said Kevin Spillman, a UMCP student.

The attorney general said students can make a difference.

"Most of the cases, about 89 percent, involve alcohol, and a lot of them -- almost all of them -- can be prevented," Gansler said.

Last year, there were 101 cases of reported sex offenses on Maryland's public and private college campuses, that's up from 72 in 2011. The number of reported forcible sex offenses appears to have leveled off. There were 24 last year, down from a high of 27 in 2012.

The University of Maryland-College Park led the state in the number of reported forcible sex offenses with 45 over the past four years. There were 29 at McDaniel College, 19 at Towson University and 18 at Salisbury University and the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.

All of Maryland's colleges and universities are required to review and update their policies on sexual assault by the end of the year.